


Early Twilight

by SpectralFury



Series: The Letter V Two Times [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Ahsoka - E. K. Johnston
Genre: AKA Darth Venatrix, Darth Snips, Gen, He's Only A Year In Give Him A Break, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Imperial Fulcrum, Not Beta Read, Public Humiliation, Revelations, Revenge Plot, She Isn't Crazy Yet, Sheevery Intensifies, Sith Ahsoka Tano, The Dark Side of the Force, The Jedi Council Fucked Up, The Truth Hurts, Vader Doesn't Know What He Is Doing, just wait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-19 19:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19363165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpectralFury/pseuds/SpectralFury
Summary: ...of the ApprenticeOn a whim, Darth Vader decides to check up on what his Inquisitors are doing. When he reads the summary of a particular sighting on the backwater moon of Raada, he gains a sudden interest. A meeting, capture, and a revelation later, he has his apprentice back at his side. They quickly begin plotting their revenge on the man who ruined not only both their lives, but the galaxy as well.It goes about as well as one would expect.That won't stop them, though.





	1. Vader

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome! I would like to point out first that this work serves as a sort of prologue to set the stage for what will hopefully be later stories. If not, I hope you enjoy this short "story" that popped into my head a few days ago.
> 
> There are additional notes at the bottom.

    Ahsoka Tano stirred, her head fuzzy and body tingling. Instantly she recognized the feeling of a blaster’s stun setting having knocked her out. Or several, based on how numb she felt. She opened her eyes and pushed off the soft mattress, trying to take in her surroundings.

    Wait, soft mattress? That wasn’t right.

    She shot up, old adrenaline and recent memories returning to her. Raada, fighting that dark side creature, saving Kaeden, the battle, and then... _him._

    The Sith Lord.

    She shivered reflexively, the feeling of that bone chilling cold coming to mind. A cold that was...close? She looked around again, her danger sense telling her that such a predator was still closeby. What she saw was not what she expected, however.

    She wasn’t in some kind of cell, but rather a set of quarters. Officer’s quarters, if she wasn’t mistaken. They weren’t too different than the ones on Republic warships, if more grey than she remembered. What was she doing there? It didn’t matter, she had to get out of there. Immediately she shot up out of the bed and headed for the door.

    It didn’t open. Of course. With a wave of her hand she opened the door with the Force, stepped out, and was immediately met by a dozen stormtroopers. They raised their weapons, and immediately she thought her life was going to end there, her co called capture just a taunting gesture from the Sith. At least Kaeden would be okay, if the Sith kept his word. Which he probably didn’t. She tensed, preparing for the shots to pepper her torso.

    They didn’t come.

    One of the troopers with an orange paldron stepped forward. “Lord Vader expected you would try to escape, Commander,” he said. It was a _clone_ . One of _their_ clones. It had been awhile, but based on the inflection of his voice, even through the helmet’s vocoder…

    “Appo?” Ahsoka asked quietly. Disbelievingly.

    “Commander,” the clone Commander replied. “Lord Vader wishes to speak with you. Are you gonna come along quietly, or do we have to drag you there?” he asked not unkindly.

    She was too stunned to respond, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly as the stormtroopers watched. She felt amusement from them in the Force, but only mildly. If anything they were _concerned_ , extremely so.

    “ _Commander_ ,” Appo insisted. “We don’t want to, but we will stun you again if we have to.”

    Her brain finally caught up, and she flinched at the thought of having unconsciousness forced upon her again. “Lead- lead the way,” she said. Hesitantly she took a position, surrounded by her former brothers-in-arms. She couldn’t hurt _them_ , not when they’re not trying to kill her. The Sith Lord, he probably would, but she wasn’t about to harm others- innocents even if they were soldiers, just to escape herself.

    “When we heard that you and Captain Rex were found dead on Mandalore, the 501st was devastated,” Appo said from behind her. “Glad to see you’re still kickin’.”

She turned her head and shot him a dirty look, the memories from that terrible night still fresh in her mind. Turning around to find thirty blasters pointed in her direction wasn’t exactly pleasant. “No thanks to the guys,” she said bitterly.

    Appo let out a disappointed snarl. “I hoped the boys there would know better. You weren’t a Jedi. Guess they followed orders _too_ well. Did Captain Rex survive?”

    She sneered at the back of the trooper in front of her. The false graves they had dug for themselves weren’t that good, and they knew they would have been reported missing rather than killed. “No,” she lied. She wasn’t about to tell them where Rex was. Or rather used to be. They had agreed to part ways for a few years until things cooled off.

    She felt a wave of grief from the troopers around her, and she almost felt guilty for lying to them about Rex’s fate. Almost.

    She felt that they had arrived before Appo announced it. The wave of ice in the Force that pierced through her told her enough. “We’re here,” the clone said, right on schedule. “Give him a chance, Commander. He’s tough now, but it’s still an honor serving next to him.” Ahsoka had no idea what he could have possibly meant by that. That monster was a Sith. A _Sith_. They did nothing but cause misery and destruction. How Appo, a man and soldier of honor, could claim to be fine with serving with a man like that was beyond her.

    Ahsoka resisted the urge to scoff or voice her opinions, though. Instead she steeled herself, both body and mind, and entered the room she had been herded into.

    The second thing she noticed was the breather. In the chaos of the fight on Raada, she hadn’t noticed that the suit seemed to sustain him. She hesitated slightly upon entering, but the door shut behind her and sealed, the magnetic lock preventing her from opening it without considerable effort. This room was some kind of observation or planning deck, based on the layout. _He_ was standing in front of a large transparisteel viewport, the blue whirl of hyperspace playing out in front of them. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he didn’t react to her entry. She wondered if the sloped helm he was wearing deafened him at all. Behind him on a table were her lightsabers, her _new_ lightsabers. She had only had them for barely fifteen minutes, but she would recognize the cobbled together hilts anywhere already. Even if she didn’t, the sound of her lightsaber crystals would have instantly given them away. 

    When the Sith- _Vader_ continued to do nothing, she took a careful step forward. Then another, and another, quietly slinking forward until she was within reach of her weapons. Gingerly, she retrieved them, and then considered her next course of action. Try to stab him in the back, or flee? She doubted that he would fall for such an attack. Sith didn’t become Sith by being stupid or ignorant of what was happening around them. If she ran back and tried to cut the door however, he would definitely hear _that_ . Then she would have to fight her way through the ship with the Sith on her tail, and- no. There was no chance there. Perhaps _here_ , there was a possibility, however slight, that she could end this evil monster and rid the galaxy of his diseased soul. If she failed and he killed her for it, then so be it.

    Again she slinked forward, doing her best to advance as soundlessly as possible. She wished that perhaps she had been thrown into a cell, bootless and thus much more silent, but as it stood there was no time to wish the past had changed. Step by step she got closer, timing her steps to coincide with the Sith’s loud and grating breathing. If he had noticed her, he hadn’t shown it. Her heart hammered in her chest as the distance closed. Her senses were _screaming_ that this was a trap, but if she learned anything from her master and grandmaster, it’s that traps work both ways if the prey knows about them. Finally she was within range. She raised the hilts up high, set her thumbs on the ignition switches, and with a cry she swung down, hitting the buttons to bring forth her weapons’ blades.

    Nothing happened.

    She froze, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. The Sith slowly turned around, as if having expected this outcome. He _had_ expected this outcome. He brought his hands in front of him, and opened the left, revealing a pair of power cells lying in his grasp. Lightsaber power cells. He had _removed them_. Suddenly backed into a corner, she dropped the useless hilts and leapt at him, only to feel herself catch on nothing. A pressure quickly surrounded her throat as the Sith powered through her defenses, and she rose into the air. To her surprise, there was no strangling or suffocation. The act was almost...gentle, if one could hold another in such a way gently. With the flick of a hand, Vader called a chair from the other side of the room, the seat scraping along the floor. Slowly, he sat her in the chair, and when it was clear she wouldn’t fight, released her.

    Vader called her hilts to his hand, and seemed to carefully inspect them. “You made these out of scrap metal,” he rumbled. He sounded...impressed?

    “I made do with what I had,” she bit back. No matter the danger, she refused to be intimidated by this thug.

    “As you always have,” he said. She looked at the man, trying to figure out who he could possibly be. That line was almost as if he _knew_ her, but everyone she knew was dead. Except Rex and the Lartes of course.

    _The farmers._

    “What did you do with the refugees?” she demanded. Vader’s head snapped up from his inspection, but there was no retaliation.

    “As per our arrangement, they were allowed to leave,” he advised.

    “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you,” she snapped back.

    “What you believe is irrelevant. You surrendered to me, and thus the farmers were allowed to leave. That was the deal. Out of respect for you, I did not alter it,” he said. “Pray that does not change in the future,” he growled.

    She didn’t flinch in face of the threat. “Okay, fine. You let them go. What do you want with me?”

    “You are not a Jedi.” He said nothing more.

    She waited for him to continue, holding her hands out for him to say something, but when he did not she slapped them onto her thighs. “And?”

    Vader began pacing left and right, his hands once again behind his back, his gaze never leaving her. “Have you ever considered taking another path?”

    Ahsoka scoffed. “If you mean to turn me into one of those _creatures_ , you’ll have to look elsewhere.” She turned her head dismissively, crossing her arms.

    “The Inquisitors have their uses.”

    “Oh. Did _you_ train them?” she asked mockingly. “That one didn’t even know what he was doing.” It wasn't the best to speak ill of the dead, but she wasn’t about to give the Sith the satisfaction of any kind of praise.

    “Such is the way of the Sith,” Vader said. “One does not make tools that can defeat the masters.” Ahsoka just rolled her eyes at the dramatics. “What do you want?” he asked.

    “What?”

    He paused in his pacing. “It’s quite simple. Tell me what you want.”

    She looked and him and blinked in confusion. “I-I don’t…”

    “Pick something. Anything in the galaxy. Tell me what you want.” There was no malice, no threat behind it. He was being oddly candid.

    “I want you to let me out of here,” she said dismissively.

    “As you wish.”

    She stared at him. It had to be a lie. “I want _off this ship_.”

    “Done,” he said immediately.

    Her mouth opened slightly. He couldn’t possibly be serious. “And I want a shuttle. Untracked.”

    “Whatever you desire.” She stared at him for a moment before standing up, carefully keeping an eye on him as she backed towards the door. “Where are you going?”

    Her face immediately went hard. “You said you would let me go.”

    “I did,” Vader said. “Now that _what_ you want has been established, we must move on to _how_ you are going to get it.”

    She gave him a flat look. “And I suppose you aren’t going to accept credits?” she said flippantly.

    Vader shook his head slowly as his shoulders lurched ever so slightly, giving the impression that he just...laughed? “No.” He slowly approached her again, and she did not waver, despite how much of a threat the man posed. “What if I gave you the power to have whatever you wanted?”

    She pressed her lips into a line. “Oh, you want me to be your apprentice.” She scoffed. “Pass.”

    “So certain already?” Vader asked slowly. “Surely you have tasted the power that your emotions bring. Fear that heightens your senses. Anger at the injury of your friends. Hatred at what the Emperor has done?”

    Of course she had. Every Jedi slipped up from time to time. Seconds where instinctual actions overrode learned training. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction though. “You mean at what _your master_ has done?” She shot the man a sneer, getting tired of these games. If he was going to kill her after she denied him, she would rather he get on with it.

    “Indeed,” Vader said calmly. “He has done a great deal of wrongs, both to the Galaxy and to me.” At her core, she did feel just the barest hint of sympathy for the man. He was a victim in some manner, just as they all were.

    “You say that you respect me,” she began. “But if you think I would turn to the dark side so easily, you don’t know a thing about me, _Sith._ ” She spat the word out like a curse.

    The Sith stopped moving, and as the chill around her deepened, she thought she might get her wish. Instead he walked slowly back to the table, depositing her useless weapons upon it and turning his back. “I know you as any master knows their Padawan, _Snips_.”

    Something within Ahsoka fractured.

“W-what?” she wavered. “Where did you hear that nickname?” She huffed and huffed as thoughts and possibilities ran through her head. Only one person ever called her that, and he was dead! “Who are you?!” she yelled, anger and grief and sorrow filling her as this vile creature dared defile her master’s memory by using his name for her!

    Vader said nothing, instead slowly bringing his hands to his helm, his gloved fingers carefully sliding within crevices and unlocking the fasteners that held it taut. With a quiet hiss, it came loose, and he gingerly lifed it off his head. Ahsoka almost gagged when she saw the scarred mass of flesh that was the back of his head. She didn’t know why the Sith was doing this because _he was not Anakin._

    The helm was slowly set on the table before Vader moved to the mask, the black, angular, skull shaped monstrosity being carefully peeled off his face. She could hear his skin pulling from it, somehow, and she wondered exactly what purpose that could have served. The suit looked archaic, or at the very least outmoded. Around fifty years old, she wondered why the Sith would ever bother wearing the thing when modern replacements are available.

    The mask was set next to the helm, and it was only then she heard that the constant raspy breathing had been reduced to something barely perceptible. Slowly, she forced one leg to move forward, then another, and another, her steps hard and mechanical as she approached the dark lord. This man was not her master, and she would look in his eyes before declaring it so. 

    As she neared him, he began to turn right, and she froze upon seeing the scar upon his right eye that she knew all too well. Her already shattered confidence turned to dust, and her mouth opened up into horror as more and more of Anakin’s scarred face was revealed. His eyes, previously closed as he turned, opened gingerly, wincing at the ambient light in the room. His irises were not the sky blue as she remembered, but instead a molten amber.

    Her quivering lips moved, but no words came out as her jaw opened and closed uselessly. There was a hole in her gut, her heart burned, and her entire body vibrated as tears started to well up in her eyes. “Anakin?” she uttered, unable to speak with any strength past the barest whisper.

    “Hello Ahsoka,” Anakin said, his voice just as weak.

    The fracture within Ahsoka grew and widened, and she collapsed to the floor in defeat, tears flowing freely from her eyes as she openly wept. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to _do_ . Anakin was alive! Alive and a Sith Lord! He turned to the dark side! He was everything against all that was good and right and just! A hand rested on her back, and she flinched away slightly before she felt how _gentle_ it was. How _familiar_ it was. Unable to help herself, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around the Sith’s kneeling form. The armor, the bodyglove, it all was so foreign, but as Anakin’s cold and dark presence wrapped around her in protection, it all felt so much like before. She didn’t know how long she sat there in despair, but by the time she finally started to regain her composure, her eyes were dry, the tears long spent. She just sat there, clinging to him desperately. That he was a Sith didn’t matter. She was flailing, twisting and flying freely in the wind. He was offering support, and she took it.

    Finally, she tried to speak, but the runoff from her nose made a gargling noise come out. Shoving it down her throat, she took several deep breaths, trying to wrangle what was left of herself to heel. “Why?”

    “I was betrayed,” Anakin said after a moment. “I was...close, with Padmé. You know that.” She nodded. “We were married, and were expecting a child.”

    Ahsoka tensed slightly. She knew that Anakin and the senator were close, likely even lovers, but never had she ever thought they had gone _that_ far.

    “I kept having dreams. Visions of her dying in childbirth. I asked the Jedi what to do. Saying that it was a close friend.” He sighed. “They told me to _let her go_ ,” he growled. As much as he could growl anyway. His voice was weaker than a sickly kitten. “I couldn’t do that. I refused to. Palpatine he…” Ahsoka shivered as Anakin’s protective embrace became a suffocating rage, but it quickly faded as he seemed to notice her discomfort. “He _knew_ . He offered me the power to cheat death. To _save her_ but…” Another weak growl.

    “Are you the one that attacked the temple?” She asked.

    “Yes.” She looked up at him with a glare, but it faltered when all she saw in his eyes was pain. “That was his price. Their lives for hers.”

    With a wave of disgusted anger, Ahsoka finally found the strength to pull herself away from Anakin’s gentle grasp. She looked up at him again, expecting frustration or some manner of anger, but there was only disappointment. “Did you at least get what you wanted?” she asked indignantly. It was only half hearted though. She already knew the answer, and just wanted to lash out.

    Anakin looked down, and shook his head. “No. I...could not control the dark side then. I was new and inexperienced to it, and it blinded me. My master sent me to Mustafar to end the war. Padmé followed me there and...Obi-Wan was with her. When I saw him I lost control. I thought she had brought him there to end me and I…” His eyes shut. “I killed her.”

    She wanted to be mad at that, but she couldn’t. She saw it for what it was. Anakin was always an emotional person, and Palpatine preyed on it. Probably _had_ been preying on it for years. The two were always close, and now that she heard the story from the victim himself, it all made sense. All Anakin ever wanted was to save the people he loved. The Jedi failed him just as they failed her, and in his desperation he turned to the only other person in his life that he could.

    “Oh Anakin,” she said softly. “Why did you stay with him?”

    Anakin huffed and looked away. “The galaxy needs order, and where else could I go? Padmé’s death gave me pain. I won’t dishonor her by throwing it away.”

    Ahsoka took a deep breath, and then let it out. “And now you want me to join the Empire?”

    “In a way.” Anakin pulled himself up, and after offering her a hand, pulled her up too. She felt weak, vulnerable, but the Sith’s presence around her made her feel safe, somehow. It was darkness, raw and unfettered, she knew that, but it wasn’t dangerous to _her_.

    “Anakin,” she said apologetically. “I can’t.”

    “But you _can_.” He sucked in a breath, his face contorting in pain.

    “Master,” she said without thinking, stepping forward to help.

    “I can survive for short periods without the mask. I’ll be fine.” He sucked in another breath, and she felt her skin crawl as he channeled his cold hatred into keeping his body alive. “The Emperor brought order to the galaxy, but he often goes too far. He is needlessly cruel and brutal. Anyone that refuses to serve him is killed. He’s a sadist, and already I can see it’s going to ruin the Empire in the long run.”

    “Why don’t you just kill him, then?” she asked. “That’s what Sith do, right?”

    Anakin’s lips pulled into a sad smile. “I cannot. This suit keeps me alive, but it’s also a punishment and prison. His lightning can short it out easily, and he reminds me of this regularly.”

    “A punishment?” It suddenly made sense why he would wear it. He had no choice.

    The air suddenly turned frigid as Anakin’s eyes grew brighter. “For my... _failure_ . I told you that Obi-Wan came to Mustafar. I...lost. It was my fault, but he left me to die.” She watched as Anakin’s hands clenched into fists, the leather creaking from the strain. “ _Mou kei_ . Amazing how when the Jedi need to, they forget the rules, hmm? He took advantage of a bad jump, cut the rest of my limbs off, and watched as the lava next to me set me on fire. I _burned_ , and he watched. He didn’t even have the courtesy to finish me off.”

    Ahsoka stepped back, her face contorting into disbelieving horror. “He would never do that! He’s a Jedi!” And Jedi didn’t make their enemies suffer.

    “The Jedi were hypocrites, Ahsoka,” Anakin said. “Palpatine appointed me to the Council, and they only accepted because they wanted me to _spy_ on him. Treason.”

    “B-but, he’s a Sith!” she sputtered.

    “They didn’t know that,” he said evenly. “They just didn’t trust him. The whole Council were traitors to the Republic they claimed to hold dear.” She looked at him, trying to find some hole. Sure they betrayed her in her time of need, but to do the same to the whole Republic?

    “You’re lying,” she defiantly said.

    He ignored her. “Not only that, but when Palpatine revealed himself to me, I went to the Jedi _first_. Windu told me to wait in the High Council Chamber. I’ll admit, I left because I was conflicted, because of my own desires, but when I made it to Palpatine’s office, he had won. He had the Chancellor at saberpoint. I went to help him arrest the man, but Windu wanted to execute him.”

    “He would nev-”

    “He did!” Anakin said, his voice gaining just enough strength to sound like Anakin’s. “I plead with him that murder was not the Jedi way, but he wouldn’t listen. _Too dangerous to be left alive._ The _exact_ same words Palpatine said after I killed Dooku. Windu was no different, and in that moment, I knew that the Jedi and the Sith were just the same.” He huffed in amusement. “I was a fool to have trusted any of them.”

    Ahsoka’s mouth opened and closed several times as she gently shook her head in denial. “That- that- Master Windu would _never_ do that! You’re _lying,_ Anakin!” she barked, showing her teeth reflexively.

    “Search your feelings, you’ll find it to be true.” 

    She looked at him hard, his hand played. It must have been a bluff, it had to be! He told her to search her feelings, so she did. She cast herself out into the Force, finding it still wounded and screaming from just over a year ago. There was darkness everywhere, but underneath it all there was light, if one knew where to look. She carefully cradled what remained of the light in the galaxy, and it whispered to her, _he speaks the truth_. Her eyes widened as far as they could, and her heart started hammering in her chest once more as an absolute truth of the universe was broken before her. The Jedi were supposed to be the bastions of all that was good and just, but when that was gone…

    The small break had splintered out, travelling through her body, and now threatened her heart. “Barriss was right,” she said weakly.

    “She was,” he agreed, though she really didn’t hear him over the roaring sound in her head. She wasn’t a Jedi, hadn’t been one for years, but despite her misgivings over them, they still represented something to respect and ground herself with. Every time she encountered a situation where the dark side would have helped, or where she could have simply threatened to get her way, killed someone so they wouldn’t harm another ever again, she thought of Anakin and Obi-Wan and what they would have done. The Jedi were supposed to be her moral compass. They taught her right from wrong. They sat on one end of the spectrum while the Sith waited on the other, and if both sides practiced the same actions when pushed, where did that leave her?

    She fell back into the chair, looking blankly around at the drab grey theme of the room. She felt lost, helpless, and utterly without direction. “I don’t know what to do.”

    “What do you _want_ to do?” he asked. She looked up at him, her vision blurring from some unknown source. It was as if her whole reality was threatening to shatter to pieces. She pried herself from the chair, staggering slightly before making her way to the forward viewport. She couldn’t look at Anakin. She couldn’t look at the ship. Instead she leaned against the transparisteel with her forehead, wishing the whole thing would break and allow hyperspace to consume her.

    She heard Anakin walk up behind her, his footsteps loud and heavy. He laid one hand on her shoulder, and when she didn’t protest he did so with the other, gently pulling her back from the view.

    She had seen the power of the dark side firsthand many times, both on its target and its practitioner. It changed people. Or did it? Anakin was being incredibly patient and calm with her, and he was a Sith. Master Windu was a supposed champion of the light, and he was capable of murder. Obi-Wan was her grandmaster, and while he too never strayed, he broke the rules as well in the end. From a young age, the Jedi always taught her that any shortcut of any kind was a path to the dark side, and that a true Jedi would never need to break the Jedi Code to do their job.

    If two of the greatest Jedi, _Councillors_ even, broke the code when things got tough, it meant that rules didn’t matter in the long run. Light or dark, it ultimately didn’t matter. Power was power. They needed it, so they reached for it, and damned the consequences. If the rules didn’t apply to them, then why should they apply to her?

    She felt a pain in her chest as something broke inside her. The fractures, finally having met no resistance, spidered into the rest of her body and shattered her heart.

    And then Ahsoka Tano fell to pieces.

    With a pained grunt she fell back into Anakin limply, her eyes glazing over. She lingered there a moment, considering her options. Her heroes gone, there was only herself to look for guidance. “You asked me what I want.”

    “I did.”

    She licked her lips and started speaking distantly. “I want the power to stop needing to look over my shoulder every ten minutes. I want the power to let people wake up in the morning and not worry that their livelihoods are on the Emperor’s whim. I want the power to be able to punish all the corrupt officers that get kicks out of burning towns and ruining lives. I want the power to make the galaxy a better place. I want the power to do all the things we used to talk about.” She paused. “And I want to be with you again,” she said hopefully.

    Anakin shifted behind her, gently squeezing at her shoulders. “You shall have it.” 

    “We will stop the atrocities?”

    “They are sometimes necessary,” Anakin admitted. “Examples must be made, but I only commit to them when it suits my purposes. Unlike the Emperor, I don’t kill for amusement.”

    She knew war. Sometimes one had to do terrible things in the name of peace. The first time she had to order the bombardment of a city, she thought it would break her. It did, but she came back stronger from it. It hardened her. Taught her that sometimes sacrifices had to be made in the name of peace. This was just another, right? Something within her whispered that _no, there is always another way_ , but she didn’t know. She couldn’t decide.

    “What must I do?” she asked, though she was more asking how to choose rather than what would be required of her.

    “Look inward,” Anakin said, as if sensing her indecision. “Within everyone is a place, cold and remote. It is atop a mountain, its ice untarnished as you have never walked it before. Find it and look and look down upon yourself. Breathe the pure and icy air as you examine your indecision, your shame at considering this, your love for the people. Take your emotions, but unlike the Jedi, do not let them go. Examine them, disassemble them, and put them back together. _Know_ your emotions as you never have before.”

    She closed her eyes, and felt him let go as she did as he said. The place described was easily found, for it was a close neighbor of the place the Jedi went to when meditating. Unlike the warm and gentle pond however, the frozen mountaintop was harsh and unforgiving. It was unfamiliar, but at the same time she felt as if this place was something she had stopped by every day to rest, and knew every rock and twist in the landscape. It was from here that she dealt with everything she felt.

    Her emotions didn’t disappear as she was used to. Instead her observation made them feel even more vivid, but instead of sending her into another spiral of despair, she found her head clearing. Like the scientist of a primitive world that unlocked the secrets of disease, the unknown became known, and thus had no power over her. Instead there was now a powerful tool to be used, though to build or destroy remained to be seen.

    She finally let out a breath she didn’t realize was being held in at the same time Anakin’s respirator sounded behind her.

    She turned. Anakin was looking at her. She imagined the scarred face the mask hid behind it, the face that burned at the edge of a lava bank on a hellish world. There was horror at what had happened to him, betrayal and anger at Obi-Wan for his decisions, and pity for Anakin and what had happened to him. The air felt charged as the power of it all ran over her skin, and a long denied sense of curiosity revealed itself from its hiding spot. She felt at it, let it flow through her, and gently tested the waters of the Force through the smallest and most instinctual applications. It was the dark side, and when she found that she didn’t turn into some ravenous monster, a single statement went through her head.

_How about that._

    From her mountaintop she took a cold, distant look at the state of the galaxy, and determined what would be required of its heroes to fix it.

    In hindsight, it should have been obvious sooner.

    “I will help you,” she said simply.

    “You will be Sith?” He tilted his helm, the booming voice returned. “You will return to my side, and learn the ways of the dark side of the Force as my apprentice?”

    “I will.” There was no hesitation.

    “Then it is done.”

    She blinked. “That’s...it?”

    Anakin’s shoulders lurched again in what she was pretty sure at this point was laughter, suppressed by his regulated breathing. “My master had me kneel and prostrate myself. Is that what you want?” She let out a hesitant noise. “Exactly. He is a slave driver that requires others’ submission to feel better about himself. While subordinates will be expected to show basic deference, _we_ will be partners. There will be no secrets between us, and we may speak freely to one another.”

    Partners. That sounded nice. Just like old times. Almost. “I’d like that.”

    Anakin stood up straighter, seemingly pleased. “Good. I will continue to dispense with his methods by giving you the right of renaming yourself.”

    “Renaming?” she asked.

    “The title of Darth is typically granted by the master, along with the name associated with it. My master, Darth Sidious, gave me the title of Darth Vader, just as a master on my homeworld would brand an ignorant child. Like a child I took to it, knowing not that it was no different. I am a slave, Apprentice. You are not. You will choose your own name.

    “Question the Force. It will provide guidance,” he advised.

    He turned, and she watched as he tended to her weapons, disassembling them with the Force and replacing the components he previously removed. As he did so, she sent a query into the vast, black void that she had for so long abhorred. Like a long forgotten friend it rushed to her, bombarding her mind with possibilities that threatened to overwhelm her. Like the pup she was, she flinched back from the sudden onslaught.

    “The dark side is eager, Apprentice. Too eager sometimes. Restrain it, or it will smother and destroy you.”

    And so she did, catching it by the throat and staring down into its predatory eyes. She was a predator too, one created by millennia of natural selection, centuries of societal growth, and two decades of training. Dominance must be established. Pack hierarchy must be created. She pressed her face against the dark side’s, her eyes boring into the gleaming amber ones of the beast, and told it to back off.

    It did, the beast whimpering in submission but promising that it was not over. It would always be behind her, ready to try and overthrow the order once again when she was at her weakest. Its mouth opened, and in place of the storm of words it had given her before, it uttered a single one in a gentle breeze.

_Venatrix._

    She shuddered, a chill going up her spine as the power of it filled her. _Darth Venatrix_ , she mouthed. The name of the girl who would be one of the galaxy’s dark saviors. The Force trembled, as actions such as these often cause, but it was a quiet thing. It was the rustling of the grass. It was the snapping twig behind a tree. It was the absolute silence an intruder of the wilds hears when its residents know to stay quiet, for their queen is out, and _she is hungry_.

    “Venatrix,” she finally said. The word felt weighty in her mouth. Speaking it took effort, though not out of trepidation. Instead it felt as if the Force wanted her to keep it concealed. It was something not to be uttered lightly. The weak and sycophantic would hear it, and in their ignorance would bow down out of cowardice or greed. Only those that earned the privilege would gain true comprehension, and either bask in her true glory or suffer utter annihilation.

    “And so it is,” Anakin rumbled. “Lord Venatrix.” He held out her weapons, and she eyed them for a moment before taking them. They would function for now, but soon she would need to make proper hilts.

    “ _Lady_ Venatrix,” she corrected.

    Anakin inclined his head. “Very well. We shall begin immediately.” He walked over to the viewport, looking outward for a moment. “Tell me who came to the aid of the farmers.”

    “Bail Organa,” she said immediately. “He’s trying to organize some sort of greater rebellion.”

    “Hmph. I am not surprised,” Anakin said. “He was a member of the Delegation of 2000. When the Emperor arrested most of them, he publicly recanted his opinions. It seems his true loyalties should have been clear. What do you know of his rebellion?”

    Ahsoka looked up slightly, recounting her short experience with the man as she absentmindedly fidgeted with one of her lekku. “Not much. I was only with him for a day. He was trying to recruit me, but he didn’t tell me anything outside that he’s still struggling to get everything organized. Compartmentalization and all that.”

    “Hnh.” Anakin looped his thumbs onto his belt and continued to look out. “Do you think he could be of use to us?”

    She frowned a bit at the thought of treating such a man as a mere tool, but understood that he was a potential threat. “He’ll never knowingly work with us. He wants nothing more than to restore the Republic.”

    Anakin paused, appearing to think of something before her turned to her. “Do you know why the Republic can not be allowed to return?”

    “I…” She hesitated. “I know there were problems…” She never had time to really look at it with the war taking up most of her time.

    “It was nothing more than an engine to line the pockets of the corrupt politicians that ran it,” he snarled. “The Empire inherited that corruption. What remains of the Senate is the same, but stripped of power. Instead the power was transferred to the Moffs and Governors. Corruption is a disease, Apprentice. With new land to infect, it has spread like wildfire.”

    “And we will burn it out?” she asked. Anakin nodded. “Then how is the Empire any better than the Republic?”

    “For now, it isn’t. However, the potential for stability and order is far greater. The Republic Senate could barely agree on what kind of food to serve at a gala, let alone seriously tackle corruption. With power concentrated in a few, decisions can be made quickly and efficiently.”

    It made sense, from a certain point of view. She knew that others would not see it that way, but in time their actions would speak for themselves. “And the Emperor doesn’t care or…”

    Anakin scoffed. “He _encourages_ it. The weak and foolish flock to him for his favor, and he grants titles and position based on loyalty, not ability. It allows him and the competent few to easily control a large number of underlings that are decent enough to keep things running. Meanwhile, Tarkin and the other Moffs are busy out crushing any manner of resistance caused by the ineptitude of the Emperor’s toadies. If the Empire did its job properly, there would be no need for such brutality.”

    “So what is your plan?” she asked.

    Anakin was silent for a moment. “I am still creating it,” he said slowly. She just looked at him, a bit dumbfounded. “I did not expect you to accept the position,” he explained.

    She walked up to the viewport to stand beside him, trying to figure out what he was trying to see in the whirls of hyperspace. “Maybe we should focus on the short term first? Like how you’re going to explain me to Sidious.”

    The Master looked at her for a moment before turning his head away. “Yes, that is a good idea.” He remained silent, though.

    After a moment she leaned back and crossed her arms. “You didn’t think this through, did you?” His helm snapped to her, and for a brief hint of a moment, she wondered if she would have gotten away with that if this meeting took place at a later date. She was sure that people looked at that armor and his actions and thought him some hateful old man. They would be half right, but he was still in his mid twenties. It had only been a year since they last saw each other. He had changed, but not that much. For example, making impulsive decisions.

    He made a motion that resembled an exasperated sigh and shook his head. “One of my Inquisitors reported that he was investigating sighted Jedi activity. It was reported to be a Togruta. I...had to check.” There was more to it, but she let it go.

    “So you thought you would test if I could be Sith by seeing if I was willing to murder you?”

    “It was all I could think of _at the time_. I am only in my second year into my apprenticeship.” He waved a hand at her dismissively. “I am still new at this. Hence my clumsy start at turning you. It worked, and that’s all that matters.”

    She frowned, not enjoying being manipulated like that, but what’s done was done. “You know if Palpatine suspects I’m Sith he’ll order you to kill me. That’s what happened to Ventress.”

    “Yes. I remember. This will be difficult. Hiding you will be impossible in the long term. My master has spies everywhere.”

    “So I need a function in the Empire, but one that doesn’t let him keep too much of an eye on me.” She pressed her mouth together as she thought, but when Anakin didn’t offer any suggestions, she realized just how little Palpatine trusted him. If he didn’t have some job he could easily slip her into, he had little clout. He needed Palpatine to think he was capable.

    “I have an idea. I’ll join Bail’s Rebellion.” She imagined an incredulous expression underneath Anakin’s mask, and smiled. “As a _double agent_ ,” she added. “You can tell your master you turned me, and sent me off to undermine the insurgencies in the galaxy. I found one that’s potentially trying to organize something bigger, but they’re hesitant to hand out information. I’ll feed the Empire information to keep him happy. I stay out of his sight, and you take all the credit. I’m sure we can make time to see each other.”

    Anakin said nothing for a moment as he paced back and forth. She could see his fingers curl and tap at nonexistent keys as they sat behind his back, just as she remembered him. Finally, he froze.

    “There is more here we can use.” Ahsoka tilted her head in curiosity. “You were seen being captured. If Organa is smart at all, you will be suspect. You will need to prove your dedication to his cause. You will also become _his_ double agent.”

    She tapped at her chin for a moment. “So a...quadruple agent?” Anakin waved his hand and made a dismissive sound. “So I’m going to be feeding information...to both...sides.” She looked to the side for a moment as the gears turned in her head. “You want to play both sides?”

    “Is that not what Sidious did to us all?” She felt something she had grown to miss over the years. The feeling of Anakin _excited_. “He orchestrated the entire war. Played everyone like we were puppets. He led me around like a lost puppy the entire time, and I’m sure he was the one that gave Tarkin the idea to execute you. Why don’t we stage a show of our own?”

    Ahsoka’s lips pulled into a wicked grin. “Then let’s start filling out the cast.”


	2. Venatrix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read the Ahsoka novel, you will recognize this as a corruption of Chapter 30 of said book. I hoped I changed enough so it doesn't seem like too much of a complete copy, but seeing as I had said chapter open to reference the flow of conversation and Bail's speaking patterns, I may not have succeeded. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

    Two weeks later, Ahsoka found Bail. Tracking his ship from Coruscant was almost pathetically easy. Of course, being a diplomat meant he couldn’t just _disappear_ , but that didn’t stop him from taking a detour to a semi-remote moon and dropping of some completely legitimate crates. She had to admit, even in the Force the crew acted as if it were completely routine, but she knew better. While the ship was landed she took the time to sneak into the spaceport and stow away on board the _Tantive III._ As a courtesy, she waited to make sure the man was already in his office before breaking into it.

    Her master had given her a few things. Some were for show, and others were real. For example, a security code cylinder that would let her deal with any Imperial forces if she needed. No sense in getting detained and tortured by some xenophobic officer if a stormtrooper didn’t believe her claims of being his agent, which was likely. She had tested it by flying straight to Coruscant on the shuttle Vader had granted her. The way the dock officer’s face paled when he ran the code was...not exactly satisfying, but it was a light enjoyment.

    Otherwise, coming this far into the Core would have been an extremely big risk. Her face was probably still recognizable from the holofeeds during the temple bombing. Regardless, showing up here meant that she could show Bail how serious she was about all this, and how grateful she was for helping Kaeden and the farmers. She may have been a fresh Sith, darksider, and planning on eventually betraying the man, but he did help her friends. 

    After a time that pushed the boundaries of too much, she felt the ship take off and the slight shift that told a spacer they were in hyperspace, and she left her hidey hole to look for him.

    She sliced the security on his door with ease and slipped inside. Like the senator’s quarters during their previous encounter, the microsuite was comprised of little more than just two rooms. She waited in the antechamber, which was just big enough for a couple seats and a few plants sitting in grow trays built into the walls. The senator’s voice penetrated the wall and door from the next room, presumably his office/sleeping quarters. Out of curiosity, she leaned in closer and listened, only to hear the babbling of a child. It was all gibberish to her, but Bail managed to understand it.

    “I know, love, but it’s more secure if we just talk without any visuals to trace.” There was a silent pause, and she wondered if the child actually understood his words. “Tell your mother I’ll see you both soon enough.”

    There was a quiet beep as the call disconnected, and then a very prominent cough.

    “Do I have another Jedi break-in to report?” he called out.

    Ahsoka snickered. Despite the failures of his security, he was nice to know that he was capable of learning. It wasn’t surprising, really. Navigating the cutthroat politics of the former Republic and now _Imperial_ Senate required a sharp mind. He must have let her listen in on the conversation.

    “Showing your vulnerabilities to put me at ease, Senator?” Ahsoka asked, stepping into the main office. He initially waved her into a seat, but as she approached his face rapidly paled.

    “By the stars,” he said softly. “When I heard that you were captured by Vader, I expected the worst but…” He gestured to her, and the numerous torture marks all over her. Electrical burns, bruises, cuts, and a slightly thinner frame from malnutrition were easily visible. The area around her eyes had darkened, a symptom of minimal sleep and being forced to run on stims.

    _Ahsoka frowned as the shackles secured around her limbs. Off in the corner of the room was an intimidating droid, a glossy black sphere that hovered silently, its red photoreceptor giving her the impression of some kind of evil specter. Vader tapped at a datapad wordlessly, calling a number of sinister implements from their resting place on the ceiling._

_“Is this really necessary?” she asked._

_“The reputation of the Empire is well known. When you meet with Organa, it must appear as if you initially refused my offers.”_

_“It’s still going to hurt though.”_

_“That’s the point,” he advised. “You must learn to channel your pain into power. I know you can continue fighting after being shot, but you must move beyond that.”_

_“_ Or _I could just never be shot,” she offered._

_She could hear a scoff from underneath the mask. It sounded unpracticed and difficult with the breather messing with his lungs, and she wondered if ever did it with any frequency. “It is inevitable that you are injured. If this happens, you must not become_ less _of a threat, but_ more _.”_

_She sighed, frowning as some kind of shock probe descended towards her. She didn’t struggle, for awhile, but eventually she had to restrain herself from destroying the equipment after the second time. Another lesson, one taught to help her prevent from being consumed by rage._

    “It’s nothing,” she offered, hoping that a show of strength would be a benefit. “I’ve been tortured before. Nothing _this_ bad but…”

    “You need medical attention,” Bail said sternly.

    “And I will be happy to accept it,” she replied politely. “After we finish here.”

    Bail looked like he wanted to protest, but let out a sigh in acceptance. “How did you escape? Vader is a well known Jedi killer.”

    Ahsoka relaxed into the chair, feeling it as if it had been a long while since she had felt anything soft. Which was actually true. “I didn’t. He...broke me,” she said softly. The panic she felt from the man was both expected and palpable. “You’re safe!” she added on hasily. “When he asked me who sent the ships to Raada, I told him it was Quinlan Vos, and that he was hiding on Corellia.”

    The senator relaxed before leaning in slightly. “I hope that wasn’t a lie too. I could always use more help.”

    She nodded, a frown pulling at her lips. “Afraid so. I don’t even know if Master Vos is alive, but he was a Shadow. When Vader finds no trace of him on Corellia, it won’t surprise him. A bold attack like that sounds like Vos, too. I only met him a few times, but he always drew attention.”

    A faint smile found its way onto Bail’s lips, but it quickly vanished in favor of a suspicious gaze. “And so Vader just...let you go after that?”

    She smirked and shrugged. “No. When I said he broke me he…” She hesitated. It was time to spin the tale she had prepared. “Everyone has a limit. Even the best Jedi Masters. Torture a Jedi enough, and they’ll eventually reach for the dark side. I’m not sure what you know about the Force, Senator, but when someone does that it’s…” She sighed. “It’s extremely hard to go back. It quickly consumes you. The power is…” She legitimately shuddered. “I couldn’t help myself but want more of it. It’s like a drug, Senator. I knelt before him, told him I’d do anything he wanted and…” A disgusted snarl pulled at her lips before she shook her head.

    “He sent me to go find Quinlan. I was so high on the power I didn’t even realize I had lied to him. It was about halfway during the trip that I managed to get ahold of myself. So...as far as Vader is concerned I’m busy infiltrating your- well, _Quinlan’s_ rebellion.”

    Bail’s face remained stoic as he listened, the politician’s mask showing only the barest hints of what he truly thought. In the Force though, he was as easily readable as Anakin used to be visibly. There was still some suspicion, but she had him.

    A growling sigh escape the man’s mouth, and he shook his head slowly. “ _This_ is why I fight the Empire. Monsters like the Emperor and Vader, and their lackeys like Tarkin. Until my and everyone’s family is safe, I won’t rest. At least my compassion will make the Empire think I’m easily bullied and not a threat.”

    “You worry about your daughter,” Ahsoka said.

    Bail shrugged, but she could see the tightness around his eyes. The man must have been strung out.

    “She’s already a lot like her mother,” he said.

    There was something off about that statement, but she couldn’t tell what. For now she let it go. Pushing too hard, especially about his family, would likely break the small amount of trust she had gained with him. Secrets were natural in this business.

    “So, about what you’re doing to fight the Empire?” she said after a moment.

    “Yes, I thought we would get there,” Bail said. “Captain Antilles sent a glowing report. Only fifteen casualties during the Raada evacuation- one of his A-wing pilots and fourteen evacuees. He said that near the end, the Empire backed off?”

    “The price for my surrender,” she said. “I don’t know why Vader was so eager to compromise to get his hands on me, but I was willing to take what I could get at the time.”

    Something, just the barest hint of change, came from the man. More secrets to figure out later.

    “I’m glad my sacrifice meant something,” Ahsoka said. “I also took out that grey creature before my backup arrived. Vader called him an Inquisitor. Jedi hunters,” she sneered.

    “Was he talented?” Bail asked. “Or did he just carry the lightsaber for show?”

    She shrugged. “He’s had some training. Mostly relied on brute strength. If he was going to be facing Jedi, or someone with my level of training, he wouldn’t have been much of a threat. I defeated him without my lightsabers, but the other Inquisitors might not be fighting Jedi.

    Bail nodded. “We’ll have to do what we can, then. What about Raada?”

    “The farmers can’t go back,” she said, her shoulders tensing. “If they tried, the Empire would just wipe them out from orbit.” She felt her anger rising at the barbarism of it all, but she beat it down. As far as Bail was concerned, she had given up the dark side, or at the very least minimized its influence.

    “I could resettle them on Alderaan,” Bail mused. “There aren’t that many of them, and there are enough refugees in the galaxy right now that Alderaan’s taking in a few hundred won’t raise any eyebrows.”

    “They don’t want to be resettled,” Ahsoka said, straightening up. “They want to join.”

    She watched him consider it. Everyone needed manpower, even him, but there were plenty of problems with it. The Empire obviously was fine with using poorly trained people as cannon fodder, _another thing to fix_ , but Bail would never follow suit.

    “They’re only farmers, Ahsoka,” he pointed out. “They only have the training you helped them with.”

    “They have plenty of potential,” she countered. “And anyway, your rebels need to eat, right?”

    Bail laughed. This was good. It was a start. A doorway to greater things.

    “I’ll have someone talk to them, and we’ll see what we can do,” he said. “There are a few planets we know of that are suitable for an agricultural base, and we can start training anyone who is interested in piloting or weapons use.”

    Bail looked like he was contemplating something, and then leaned forward.

    “They told me your new lightsabers are white,” he said, the awe easily heard in his voice. “May I see them?”

    Surrounded by lightyears of hard vacuum, it was safe enough. Ahsoka stood and pulled them off her belt, her fingers gently rubbing over the still-rough casings. With a quick hit of the switches, they sprang to life, filling Bail’s office with a soft white light, the windows gleaming with it and reminding her of starlight. The office was quite small, but there was enough room for her to demonstrate a handful of the basic forms for him.

    _“You want me to kill Jedi,” she said flatly. It had taken her a moment to figure it out, but after explaining that she would have to obtain her own crystals to corrupt for her Sith weapons, she figured it out. She didn’t hate the Jedi. They were ultimately just victims, but if this was what she must do..._

_“The weapon of a Sith is not_ granted _, Ahsoka. It is_ taken _.” He brought out his own lightsaber, and very quickly the room filled with red light. “This crystal belonged to Kirak Infil’a. I took it from him, and broke the crystal within on the planet Mustafar. Now it serves_ me _.” He put the blade away, Ahsoka’s eyes lingering on the hilt. It was almost identical to his old one, the one that Obi-Wan had stolen from Anakin before leaving him for dead._

_She waited a moment before speaking. “Fine. Where should I start?”_

_“This is something you must do on your own. I do not require you to have this done anytime soon, just that you work towards it. It was difficult enough for me to find a purge survivor a week after it began. Now there are only a handful of Jedi remaining in the galaxy. You have your work cut out for you.”_

    Technically, his exact words were that a Sith’s crystals were taken from another. He didn’t explicitly say they had to come from a Jedi. Her white crystals had been taken from another after a particularly violent death. To her, _these_ were her Sith blades. The color, which she very much liked, meant nothing. She supposed that in her off time she would do what she could to secure others for a pair of bloodshine blades, but it wouldn’t be a priority.

    “They’re beautiful, Ahsoka,” Bail said. She put them away before sitting back down. “I’ve never seen white ones before.”

    “They used to be red,” Ahsoka said. “When that Inquisitor had them, they were red. Through the Force though, I heard them before I even returned to Raada. I knew they were for me.”

    “You changed their nature?” he asked.

    “In a manner of speaking. They had been corrupted by the dark side when the one who wielded them bent them to their will. It’s called making a crystal bleed, because they’re red.”

    “I had wondered about that,” he said. “I spent a lot of time with the Jedi, but I never asked where their lightsabers came from. I didn’t think they would have told me anyway.”

    Ahsoka ran her hands gently across her hilts. “The crystals feel a little familiar, and I saw the HoloNet feed of the day when Mas Amedda burned all those lightsabers. It couldn’t have been all of them. These must have been looted from the temple.”

    “That raises some very uncomfortable possibilities,” Bail said. “Not to mention a host of potential dangerous for a Jedi Padawan.”

    She couldn’t help but huff a laugh at that. “You keep calling me a Jedi, but I’m _really_ not.” The curious glance Bail gave her made her briefly wonder if she had stepped too far. “But…perhaps it might be safe enough for Ahsoka Tano.”

    “I’m not sure I follow,” Bail said.

    “I’ve been thinking about what I did on Raada. At first it was hard. Very hard. No one would listen to me. Later you told me you were aware something was going on, but you couldn’t step in. I couldn’t figure out how to communicate with them. They had different priorities, and because I couldn’t explain myself, a lot of people died.”

    “That’s not your fault,” he told her. She just gave him a noncommittal noise. He too probably was good at blaming himself for things. It came with the territory of trying to do good.

    “It happened again when Tage and Tamsin tried to speak with me,” Ahsoka said. “They didn’t have any information, and I didn’t know what was going on. All I saw was a tractor beam and two strangers with blasters.”

    “Chardri is never going to forgive me for that,” Bail said. “I slipped up there.”

    “My point is, both of those things could have been avoided if you had better channels of communication,” she said.

    Bail sighed. “I know. Everything I’m trying to build it too new and fragile. We’re not a secure as I’d like us to be, and things slip through the cracks as a result.”

    Ahsoka thought for a moment at how to proceed. It was a bit risky to stretch like this, but if needed to she could simply Force the issue. “I think I can help you with that.”

    “How?” Bail asked.

    “During the Clone Wars, I worked with a lot of people,” she said. “I fought alongside clones, who took orders from me even though I lacked their experience. I watched politics on a dozen different worlds. I helped train people who’d never held a blaster in their lives. When I did all that, I had the Jedi to back me up, but I think I could do almost as good a job with you.”

    “You want to recruit people?” Bail asked.

    “No, not exactly.” _You have no idea_. “Though if I found good people, I would certainly try to bring them in. I want to be a kind of...listener. One who passes tips along, gives missions to those in need of work, and finds out what people can do while helping them do it.”

    “You want to take over running my intelligence networks,” he said.

    “Who runs them now?” Ahsoka asked.

    “No one, really,” he admitted. “That’s pretty much the problem.”

    “Then that’s where I’ll start.” _Here we go._ “But it doesn’t have to be the end.”

    “What do you mean?” Bail asked.

    She straightened her back and looked him right in the eye. “Technically I’m an Imperial agent of Lord Vader right now. I’m sure if I gain his trust I can do a lot more.”

    Bail went still, a hint of fear and concern in his eyes. “You’re talking about espionage.”

    “I am,” she said. “If I can insert myself among the Empire’s top agents, I can gather a lot of information.”

    “That is quite the ambition, Ahsoka,” Bail said. “How can you be certain this won’t end up killing you? I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the Empire is very good at what it does.”

    “I can’t be certain,” she admitted, though the depth of what could happen to her was probably lost on him. “But then again nothing in life is certain.”

    “True,” Bail said. “I’m still not sure, this is exceedingly dangerous. If you’re caught, Vader or the Emperor will kill you, and I doubt it will be painless.”

    Ahsoka shrugged, and it seemed to do little to alleviate Bail’s worry. “Every time I went into battle in the Clone Wars, I risked life, limb, and a slow death. I’m used to taking this kind of risk. The only difference here is instead of fighting in a fast paced battlefield I’m working from an office.”

    “Not necessarily,” Bail said. “They may very well require you to do unspeakable things. Murder their victims. Conquer planets. Enslave people. They may even have you hunt Jedi, if these Inquisitors are so unthreatening.”

    She looked off to the side, her eyes unfocusing. To Bail it likely appeared to be her considering the ramifications of such actions upon herself. There was no conflict however. Instead she simply practiced deconstructing her anger at the Empire and its Emperor for requiring such actions, and what he would likely demand of her in the future. She enjoyed the focus it gave her, and in that it gave her an idea.

    She looked at Bail once more. “Then I can do what I can to ensure the blows are as light or as painless as possible. If it isn’t me, it would be someone else. Someone who might enjoy it.”

    “This furthers the risk to yourself,” Bail pointed out.

    “Acceptable risk,” she said. “I can potentially save billions of lives. That is worth it to me,” she said in conviction.

    “Hnh… and the dark side?” he asked. “Will Vader and the Emperor not require you to use it? What if you find yourself enthralled again?”

    She pretended to consider his argument for a moment. “They likely will, but they won’t be around to watch me all the time. Before I had been tortured for a week and a half straight. With meditation and preparation, one can use it for a short period without falling victim to it. It won’t happen again.”

    “Very well, if you are certain you can handle it,” Bail said. “Can you do both that and run intelligence for me, though?”

    “I can certainly try,” Ahsoka said. “It will be some time until Vader expects a report. I can do what I can, and if things become too busy or dangerous I can just leave.”

    Bail nodded. “Very well.”

    “I will need to give Vader some information from time to time,” she said. “To keep up appearances.” He would never agree to that aside from the most bare and useless of tip-offs for the Empire.

    His face twisted slightly in hesitation. “I see.” He let out a sigh, thinking about her need. “I suppose as long as the trade offs aren’t too costly, I can allow that.”

    _That will do for now,_ she thought. With time she may be able to convince him to allow greater and greater sacrifices, but that required a trust that was built over years. A trust that would gradually grow as she carefully fed him juicy information about the Empire, courtesy of what Vader would learn. Like what she would get from Bail to feed Palpatine’s patience, it would begin as little things that would likely grow with time, and eventually allow them to deal with troublesome people on both sides.

    It was distasteful to her, but necessary. They didn’t have the power, either in the Force or politically, to take the Empire. This was a start.

    “I’ll need a ship,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to get one from the Empire if I need to, but their shuttles are kinda noticeable.”

    “We can modify something for you easily enough,” he said. He still appeared hesitant, but there was a small pull on his lips. A faint smile. “I know just the droid for the job.”

    “Thank you,” she said. “It feels good to have an actual mission again.”

    “I think I’m going to end up a lot further in your debt than you are in mine, but you’re welcome,” he said.

    “How about we just call it even and stop keeping track,” se said. “I’m going to be too busy as it is.”

    “You’re still going to need a moniker,” he said. “A code name, so you can deal with other operatives and keep your actions secret from the Empire.”

    The ship shifted slightly, and Bail turned to look out the viewport. She felt him relax and soften as his homeworld of Alderaan came into view. She didn’t have a home like that. Raada’s whispering grass would be missed, and with it gone there was a small void in her. Perhaps she would visit Shili soon and try to connect with her heritage. It was tan from orbit, falsely hiding the multicolored flora that covered its landscape. Alderaan was blue and green, and a good staging point for a galactic uprising. A shame that it would all eventually come crashing down on their heads. She hoped Anakin would let them off easy. They were just fighting for their right to exist and personal liberty, after all. Alderaan would be the center, where the threads of all of the Sith liberators’ ambitions connected.

    “Fulcrum,” she said. “You can call me Fulcrum.”

    “Then welcome to the Rebellion.”


	3. Sidious

    Too soon.

    The plan had been to stay on Alderaan for awhile and work on actually _creating_ Bail’s intelligence networks. The basic framework was there, sure, but in reality it was merely a list of codenames, actual names, and contact frequencies. There was some basic information, but nothing of substance. So she busied herself on the first aspect of an information net, actually collecting it. Formal messages were sent out, introducing Fulcrum to the first of her contacts as their new handler, and requesting information. Mostly she wanted to know what they could _do_. Locations and identities were requested if they were comfortable with divulging them, but naturally she received only a couple from people who were far too trusting. Or lying. Regardless, she thanked them for their honesty and advised not doing that again with an unconfirmed contact. 

    It was supposed to be a calm time to gather herself from the shock of the past few weeks and get herself actually put together. A time of meditation and familiarizing herself with the dark side of the Force. The little training Anakin had time to give her had fundamentally changed her connection to the Force, but not in the way he described. Her anger gave her strength, focus, and clarity as expected. It was a power she had never tasted before, and created a nagging at the back of her mind that _she should use it_. However there was none of the “pushback” that he warned her of. He spoke of the dark side as a beast to be broken, that she would need to beat it into submission, but there was none of that.

    Instead it seemed willing to aid her. More than willing, eager even. She had to fight to _discourage_ its power, lest it overwhelm her as it did her master a year ago. She got the impression that the dark side was something not to recklessly dive into, but rather to carefully wade into, carefully acclimatizing oneself before taking another step. Anakin had explained the Code of the Sith to her, and she had quickly memorized it, but he did not explain the depths of it. Instead he tasked her with figuring out what it meant to _her_ , for as with any such code, there was room for interpretation. 

_Those of a belief that gravitated towards blind consensus bred stagnation, and those that challenged doctrine were often the most influential or powerful._ _The Jedi’s failure and the fall of the Republic are the biggest examples in recent history,_ he said.

    So to her so far, being Sith meant doing things her own way. Which in reality was already how she lived her life, but now there was nothing holding her back. No rules except those the more powerful imposed upon her, and no petty morality to get in the way of what must be done. The first would be dealt with once Sidious was dead. Sure, it would take years, decades even. The second was already true though. The only morality that mattered was her own. _Sith have no limits_ , he told her. That also meant she was free to make her own code of ethics. Anakin didn’t kill unless it served a purpose, but she would take it a step further. Her hands would remain unbloodied as much as possible. It wasn’t that she was incapable of murder, she tried to kill Anakin with his back turned after all, it was more that she found it distasteful. True huntresses don’t kill for sport. They take only what they need to survive. What is necessary. Unbalance nature by overhunting, and soon enough the land will turn barren.

    She had just barely begun analyzing _Peace is a lie_ when she felt her comm buzz. The comm that Anakin gave her. She closed her eyes and sighed before pulling it out and reading a simple string of text.

    LEVIATHAN WISHES TO MEET YOU. TWO DAYS. 1400 HOURS.

    She resisted the urge to swear. They had hoped to put off some kind of meeting with the Emperor for as long as possible, citing that she needed to appear loyal to the rebel cause. It appeared that Palpatine thought a week was enough to do so. Or he was trying to sabotage her. Or something else. With the level of intricacy that was the Clone Wars, his motivations could be anything. She decided to settle on the simplest explanation, which was to see if she was actually a darksider and/or would obey him. She was and would, of course, she wasn’t stupid after all.

    The look on Bail’s face would be best described as extreme concern when she told him.

    “You can still back out,” he told her. “No one will judge you for that.”

    “I’ll judge myself. I said I would do this, and so I will,” she replied.

    He seemed defeated. Though if it was because he saw an amount of confidence or arrogance, she didn’t know.

    The ship Bail had gifted to her was a HWK-290, a somewhat rare light freighter manufactured by the Corellian Engineering Corporation. It lacked the saucer style profile that most of the CEC’s ships had, instead having a vague arrowhead profile. It was small, sleek, and _fast_ , perfect for Ahsoka’s needs. It lacked weapons, a flaw she hoped to eventually rectify, but she could outrun most threats easily.

    She landed not in the palace hangar as suggested, but rather in one of the public spaceports. She wasn’t about to let one of Palpatine’s cronies get easy access to her ship and either plant a tracker or check her navicomputer history. The terminal was crowded and busy. Life moved on, people travelled, and trade had to be made, no matter who was running the galaxy, it seemed. This early on, Palpatine and the Empire were still popular. He had finally ended the war after all. The crimes it had committed were still largely unknown to the greater public, or propagandised to the point that people were fine with them. Create enough war exhaustion, and people would agree to anything to make it stop, it seemed.

    She walked up to a perky looking human female at the arrivals kiosk. Already Ahsoka could hear the words “random search” coming from her, but she naturally didn’t have time for that.

    “Welcome to Imperial Center!” the receptionist said over cheerfully. “I will need your identification.”

    “This should cover it,” Ahsoka said, handing over her code cylinder. The woman’s smile shifted slightly into confusion and then skepticism.

    “Thank you,” the woman said, taking it. “I will need to know your purpose of visit and destination.”

_Of course you do,_ Ahsoka thought. These protocols and laws were implemented during the war. It wasn’t a shock that they were still active. “I’m going to the palace. I have business there,” she said. Again the receptionist looked skeptical, but as soon as she stuck the cylinder in her computer’s port, her face faded into a fearful frown. Anakin had given Ahsoka enough clearance to go anywhere she pleased in public, and an amount of authority a step above the Inquisitorius when it came to the military. Based on just how terrified the human was, she probably recognized the name that was scribbled onto the signature.

    “I see,” the receptionist said weakly. She gingerly took the cylinder out of the reader and handed it back, almost dropping it in the process. “You’re good t-to go, ma’am. Welcome to Imperial Center.”

    “Thank you,” Ahsoka said politely. That felt nice- well, she didn’t exactly _enjoy_ that, but not having to deal with forged documents, false identities, and xenophobia. _That_ was pleasant.

    Of course, using her key here probably would have been logged, and that meant she couldn’t use this spaceport again. Or she would have to switch it every time.

    In hindsight, perhaps using the palace’s landing pad would have been a better idea. The scene repeated itself over and over again. She would approach some manner of checkpoint, get sneered at, hand over her codes, they would think she stole them until they ran them, and then they would hand them back while trembling. It likely wouldn’t happen more than twice, as she was probably the only Togruta allowed in the palace like this.

    When she finally stepped out of the speeder, she was met by a grey nonhuman in a black and grey outfit. It was a light armorsuit, with the Imperial emblem painted onto his pauldrons. He lacked hair, his skin had vertical wrinkles at oddly regular intervals, and sharp, red tattoos adored his forehead and below his eyes. She didn’t recognize his species, but she did recognize the red rimmed, sulfur yellow eyes of a darksider. Even more, the sclera, which she presumed would be white as with most species, were a tar black. The dark side carefully sniffed him out, and told her that he was a threat, but not a major one.

    “I was told to expect you at the palace starport,” he said in irritation. “What are you doing _here?_ ” His voice was deep, and had a distinct Coruscanti drawl to it. Not as heavy as Obi-Wan’s, but easily recognizable.

    “Well hello to you too,” she replied sarcastically. “I thought I’d take the scenic route.” She shrugged. “So, who are you?”

    “I am the Grand Inquisitor,” he said with pride. “And I already know you, Ahsoka Tano. Betrayed by the Jedi and left them for it. Finally decide to join the winning side?”

    Wow, that was fast. She hated him already. She didn’t give in to his taunts though.

    “Lord Vader can be convincing,” she said smoothly, gesturing to what remained of her injuries. Bacta helped scars fade quickly, but Anakin was very thorough in his lesson.

    “Yes, I have witnessed Vader’s talent for breaking others firsthand. It is certainly a sight to behold.” He sighed, a small smile pulling at his lips, revealing a number of needle like teeth. Sadist. She wondered if she would ever turn out like that. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way she would do her best to not do so. Her mission was to save the galaxy, and she can’t do that by becoming Palpatine. Or this...creature.

    “Yes, I’m sure it’s amazing when you’re not the one on the table,” she said flatly. “So are you here to lead me to the Emperor or what?”

    The Inquisitor huffed in irritation and turned his back, saying “Follow me,” before his head followed suit.

    Something about him reminded her of something. Or perhaps _someone_. It was extremely faint though. Perhaps with time it would reveal itself. Currently however, stepping into the now-former Jedi Temple set her senses ablaze, and she staggered.

    The Force was _damaged_ here. Not only damaged, it was an open wound, spilling blood and pain and fear around it.

    “Ah, yes,” the Inquisitor said casually. “That happens to all force sensitives the first few times here. You’ll get used to it. Soon you’ll be able to feed off of it. It is _quite_ rejuvinating to come to the palace. You’ll see.”

    She supposed that’s what Palpatine, Anakin, and their underlings did, but she would _not_ . The Force was not a beast of burden to leech off of. It was a treasured companion that you took care of, and in turn it would take care of you. To the Jedi it would likely be a venerable bantha or other labor animal. Strong, steadfast, and useful for many situations. When pushed it could fight, but that was not its first choice. She instead imagined a darksider of her viewpoint would see it as some manner of tamed predator. The akul of her homeworld came to mind. The orange furred beasts were absolute terrors and could destroy whole villages single handedly. Taming them was...well, not _impossible_. One generally had to get a pup, a dangerous enough task, and even then it was hard. Do it successfully though through well treatment, and they were loyal, their ferocious destruction turned on the village’s enemies.

    So very different than more common darksiders, who beat the animal until it caved. That wasn’t partnership. That was slavery, and the moment the master showed weakness, the slave would rise up and kill them.

    “I suppose I will,” she said evenly. Openly rocking the boat while new was probably not a good idea.

    As they walked through the palace, she felt her anger grow. This temple, a place of learning, of contemplation, and of brotherhood...it was hollow. Her _home_ was now more than nothing but an empty shell from which a galactic bureaucracy of oppression was ran. Outside of the ziggurat’s general structure, _nothing_ remained of what she remembered. The statues had been knocked down, the artwork removed, the frescoes either painted over or- considering Palpatine’s hatred of the Jedi, likely destroyed first. She had no doubt that nothing of it was saved, save for perhaps the holocrons in the vault. She doubted that Palpatine could open them, but he seemed like the type to hoard knowledge like that.

    She couldn’t help but gain a gradual disdain of the officers and bureaucrats that they passed. So smug in their superiority as they passed the two aliens. She had known for a long while that the core leaned humanocentric, but it wasn’t until the later stages of the Clone Wars that she experienced it firsthand. The badge of the Jedi was worth less and less then, the war having tarnished it with slung mud.

    While she was sure she couldn’t ever eradicate such prejudice, when Anakin and she were ruling, she would certainly try.

    The dark side growled warnings into her head as they entered a lobby, one just outside the throne room. She was Sith, and thus didn’t feel fear like other Force users, but it crept into her heart all the same. Or at least in a crude sense. She was still a complete beginner, after all. Anakin had warned her how easy it was to become overconfident with the dark side at one’s side. _Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer,_ he had said. 

    A pair of red robed royal guards stood vigil at the entrance to the throne room proper, their force pikes visibly held. She had never been victim to such a weapon, but she had heard tales of their brutality.

    The Grand Inquisitor stopped and turned, his expression stern and warning.

    “Don’t think I didn’t notice how you walked through the palace like you own it, Tano,” he said. “I’m not sure what the dark side has done to you yet. It affects us all differently, but I suggest you show the Emperor the proper respect he deserves. This is the only warning I’ll give you.”

    “Aww, I didn’t think you cared,” she said sweetly. The Inquisitor just frowned at her. “Don’t worry, I don’t exactly plan on being electrocuted to death.”

    The Inquisitor scoffed and rolled his eyes, turning and nodding to the guards. The two men pressed switches simultaneously, and the doors opened promptly after. Ahsoka winced as a wave of darkness flooded out of the room, but did not react further. Instead she watched in concern as the dark side fled from her, only the barest hint of its power remaining while the beast ran towards the alpha inside the room.

_Keep your nose down and your tail tucked between your legs_ , it said. _Your time will come._

    And so she did. The Inquisitor took the lead, bringing her into the room. She had expected Sidious to likely take the High Council Chamber as his throne room, but based on how large this room was, it wouldn’t have fit his ego.

    The predominant color was black, as expected. A straight path to his majesty himself was flanked ornate pillars and what appeared to be a sheer drop to death. _All paths lead to me_ , it seemed to say. He sat on a throne atop a raised dais, a set of stairs allowing access. A circular window overseeing Imperial City sat in the wall behind him. Flanking the pathway and a presentation platform just in front of the throne were more Royal Guards. Useless and for show, for he was a Sith Lord, but appearances must be kept it seemed. Standing beside him was Anakin, his hands clasped behind his back and unreadable.

    She kept her eyes away from Sidious out of respect. Not true respect, of course, but instead it was respect for his power. She had no intention of insulting or displeasing him. Not to his face, at least. She waited at the bottom of the stairs to be summoned as the Inquisitor continued on to the presentation platform.

    “Your majesty,” he said, kneeling down. “I have brought you Ahsoka Tano.”

    “So you have, Grand Inquisitor,” Sidious said. His voice wasn’t _quite_ the same as Ahsoka remembered, but it was close enough. What was new was the viscous malice that dripped from it. He thought very little of the Inquisitor, and she didn’t have any illusions that it would be any different with her.

    “You may return to your duties,” Sidious finished. Immediately after, Ahsoka felt the Master’s eyes land on her. “Approach.”

    Ahsoka silently walked forward as the Inquisitor passed by, stopping upon the platform and getting down on her knees. She felt disgusted by the act, but kept that emotion buried deep inside. She kept her gaze turned downward and allowed her fear to gain some purchase. A cruel master such as he would expect it, and be displeased that one of his _pets_ was not as outwardly submissive as possible. Sidious’ gaze lingered on her, what he allowed of his thoughts to escape him nearly unreadable aside from smug satisfaction.

    “Ahsoka Tano,” he finally said, the possessiveness palpable.

    “My lord,” she replied.

    “Lord Vader has informed me that you’ve been busy,” Sidious said. “Leading an insurgency against the Empire? Tsk tsk. Explain yourself.”

    Her teeth clenched slightly at how obvious her reasoning should have been. “The Empire practically enslaved the farmers. I did what I thought was right,” she said candidly.

    “And because of your little uprising, you now sit before me on your knees.” He paused, and she could feel his presence prodding at her, inspecting her as if one would a weapon or tool. She resisted the urge to try and swat him away, though he huffed when her anger became too intense to completely hold back.

    “Hah! There it is,” Sidious said, allowing her a reprieve from his probing. He gave an exaggerated gasp of shock. “Why Tano, you’re turned to the dark side. Whatever would the Jedi think of you now?” he asked in obviously false concern.

    “The Jedi were hypocrites,” she growled, her hands tightening into fists. “I don’t care what they would have thought.”

    “As you shouldn’t,” Sidious said approvingly. “You may rise.”

    Carefully, she rose from her kneeling position, assuming parade rest before looking the Master in the eye. He was regarding her with obvious curiosity, likely trying to gauge her intentions and future within the Empire. Anakin stood in a similar stance to her off by Sidious’ side, still silent and unreadable.

    It was the first real look she had gotten of the Dark Lord. She of course had seen pictures on the HoloNet, but in person he was much, much more intense. The black hooded robe he wore seemed to swallow the man, revealing only his face and hands. On top of that, he literally looked down upon her, the light shadowed from his upper face, his glowing yellow eyes peering at her in its absence. They were similar to Anakin’s, yet different, and she wondered if hers would eventually take on their own style as well.

    “Lord Vader informed me that you dispatched one of his Inquisitors on Raada,” Sidious said. “Tell me what you thought of him.”

    She bit the inside of her cheek for a moment, wondering what she should say. She _could_ praise her master’s training of the creature, but she doubted that she would be able to lie so easily. The truth, then. “He wasn’t a threat. Not really. He was way too arrogant and didn’t have much skill to speak of. I didn’t even have my lightsabers yet and I still beat him.”

    “Ah,” Sidious said in interest, an open mouthed smile revealing his tarnished teeth. “You used the Force. Very good. In what way?”

    A slight smile pulled at her lips. “I made his lightsaber explode,” she said. “Wasn’t exactly what I was trying to do at the time, but that’s what happened.”

    “And then you allowed yourself to be captured for the sake of others,” Sidious said in mock pride, only for it to immediately disappear. “Touching. I do hope Lord Vader broke you of that. There is no room for compassion in the dark side.”

    Her eye twitched imperceptibly. “I believe it’s not necessary, but if you demand cruelty of me, then that is what I will provide.”

    “And now here you are, your little heart turning black,” Sidious said. “Of your own free will, no less. You _chose_ it.” Both Anakin and she tensed slightly in surprise. Their agreed upon story was that she was tortured into darkness. Sidious chuckled loudly at their expense before the dark side roared in warning. Faster than she could see, Sidious had a hand out, violet tendrils leaping from it and anchoring themselves upon Anakin. She took a step forward immediately to retaliate, but the dark side roared at her in warning.

    _Do not oppose the Alpha, or you will die_ , it said. _Patience._

    So she froze on the spot, glaring at Sidious as he tortured her master and friend. Her hands vibrated, hovering over her lightsabers, wanting desperately to cut the old man down with them. Anakin’s pained grunts echoed in her head as he was gradually brought down to his knees, and finally as he landed on his hands, he was thrown at her with a flick of the Master’s hand.

    She managed to duck under the flying mass of man and cybernetics, her smaller form proving beneficial in the situation. She forgot her enemy for a moment, reaching out in a panic to see if Anakin still lived, and relaxed only slightly as his presence never faded from her senses. He was alive, still strongly even, having used his pain and hate to keep himself going.

    Sidious’ sadistic laugh filled the room, and she turned her head to find him walking towards her. Again her hands twitched to her weapons, but froze just short of touching them. She was nothing to the old man. No matter how much she might have hated him, she had barely scratched the surface of the dark side that he had spent _decades_ exploring.

    “You’re certainly smarter than the Inquisitors,” Sidious said. “As I broke them, nearly all tried to kill me, thinking that their anger put them on equal footing. Of course, they are pitiful Dark Jedi. Not like myself and Vader, and not like _you_ . They do not hear the Force as _we_ do.” He stopped, extremely close, and grabbed her chin, turning her head around to distantly look at her as he probed her again with the Force. She felt her skin crawl as his loose skin touched hers, and gave him a hollow warning growl in response.

    “My my, aren’t we angry? I’m surprised it’s not clouding your head, Tano. I have dealt with many new darksiders in my life, and in their inexperience they have all been animals, helpless to fight against their own impulses.” His detached look faded into a soft and knowing smile. “You are not one of them, because you were _taught_ how to rise above that.” His eyes flicked over to Anakin, and her eyes went wide as her fears were confirmed.

    _He knows._

    “I am going to ask you some questions, _Lady_ Tano. If you lie, Vader will die. Is that clear?” he asked softly.

    The man‘s hold on her face was light, gentle even. However in the Force, he was a mass of darkness that held no form, and knew no size. His touch was sticky and absolute, and even if she had tried to stop him from wrapping his oozing tendrils around her limbs, it would have been futile. Anakin was only a year in, and she two weeks. If Anakin wasn’t in that suit, they _maybe_ could have beaten him. As it stood however, there was nothing to do but submit.

    “Crystal,” she said.

    “What is your name?” he softly demanded.

    She hesitated for a moment, but swallowed her fear. It was something to power her, not to cave to. “Venatrix, _Lord_ _Sidious,_ ” she spat.

    A pleased smile made its way onto Sidious’ face. “Trying to butter me up by using my name?” She didn’t respond, and he shrugged, finally letting go of her face. “Feh. So tell me, Lady Tano, what made you choose the dark side?”

    She frowned. That story was private, but the Leviathan must not be denied. “Lord Vader told me of how he came to be. Of how the Jedi abandoned their principles when they got in the way of the power they needed. I figured there was no reason to continue pretending I was different.”

    “All beings crave what they do not have,” Sidious said. It seemed to be a lesson, almost. “You fell for power,” he said approvingly. “That’s more than I can say for _him_ ,” he spat, gesturing to Anakin. “The power to…”

    “To destroy _you_ ,” she said harshly.

    Sidious laughed once again, clasping his hands together and looking at her hungrily. “Good! Good!” The laughter tapered off, and he paced around, inspecting the two that would destroy him. Anakin had managed to pry himself off the ground and was now kneeling in deference, both of them insignificant next to the Leviathan.

    “Lord Vader,” Sidious growled.

    “Master,” Anakin replied.

    “Normally the penalty for attempting to usurp the master is death.” Both of the apprentices tensed, trying to come up with a plan within seconds, but instead of attacking, Sidious kept speaking. “However, seeing as you so graciously delivered such a _promising_ student into my hands, I am willing to be...lenient, but _this time only_ ,” he threatened.

    “The Rule of Two is no more,” Sidious declared. “There is now only the Rule of One. One Dark Lord over a number of lesser Sith. A potential outcome I had considered, but had dismissed. I had thought that you would be all I needed, Lord Vader. You would have been _magnificent_ . Until your _failure_ on Mustafar, that is.”

    His eyes flicked to Ahsoka. “And you, Lady Tano Being taught by Skywalker, you were number two on my list, should he have refused me. So full of anger and betrayal at the Jedi, even after they offered you Knighthood after only two and a half years of training.” He sighed contentedly. “It is pleasing to me that you’ve finally found your way home.” He reached out, cupping her cheek with his hand, chucking as she sneered at him with her sharp teeth.

    “Your vision and wisdom to reach for power is to be respected. I will have _plenty_ of use for you and your skills. That is of course...if you accept.” His stance and expression were gentle, welcoming, but she knew better. Deny him and she would die.

    “It would be an honor, _Master_ ,” she forced out with a bow.

    “Good girl,” Sidious said. “Now then, Lord Vader needs to be punished, as do _you_ .” He looked at the cyborg once again, appearing bored. He mumbled softly, considering different punishments as he tilted his head. “Lord Vader, until I say otherwise, you are forbidden from killing or harming Imperial personnel for _any_ reason.”

    Ahsoka blinked. That didn’t seem too bad at all. Of course, she had to tempt fate by thinking that.

    “Tano? You will remove Lord Vader’s limbs with your weapons and then _carry_ him to his infirmary.”

    She shut her eyes and growled, forcing her hand to grab a lightsaber. She walked up to Anakin, who was still kneeling. Wordlessly he held out his arms, and she gestured with her eyes an unspoken question. With the smallest movement of his helm, he answered no. They could not beat him now as they were. With a deep breath, she ignited her weapon and chopped off one forearm, then the other. Anakin grunted in pain as the cybernetics sent damage feedback to his brain, but nothing more.

    “White?” Sidious asked. “Where did you get those?”

    “They were the Inquisitor’s,” Ahsoka said. “I don’t know how I did it, but I healed the bleed.”

    “Interesting…” Sidious said slowly. “Continue.”

    Anakin lied on his back, and stuck his legs out into the air. It sickened Ahsoka to see her friend bending over like this, but as the dark side was whispering _submit_ into her head, it likely did so to him as well. With two rapid swings she removed his lower legs, the metallic appendages clanking on the ground.

    “Be sure to take Vader’s scrap with you,” Sidious ordered. “I won’t have that garbage in my throne room.” He turned and made his way back to his throne.

    She grit her teeth, gently placing the now useless limbs onto Anakin’s chest. The regulator didn’t seem to hitch or strain, so at least she wasn’t on some kind of time limit. Carefully she put an arm under Anakin’s back, the man helping her stabilize him with his stump. Another arm was placed under his rear, and with heavy assistance from the Force she was able to lift the 265 pounds of man and machine, but only just barely. She certainly had enough anger and hatred to power it.

    Her footfalls were heavy and mechanical as she worked to prevent herself from toppling over, and she left the throne room, Sidious’ cackling laughter echoing behind them. Immediately outside were a number of people, _far_ more than she had expected. Military officers, including a couple Moffs and Tarkin were present, along with a few Inquisitors, including the Grand Inquisitor. There was initial shock on their faces at seeing the invincible Darth Vader being carried out of the throne room by a girl that was barely an adult. This shock was quickly overtaken by smug satisfaction and amusement, though she didn’t know that it was because of how abusive her friend had been to them.

    Regardless, they both now knew what the _real_ punishment was. Complete and utter humiliation. She felt Anakin’s rage thrash against his restraint below her as she walked past them. She picked up her speed, unsure if her friend would be able to hold himself back for long.

    His responses were clipped and to the point as he led her to the infirmary.

    Correction, _his_ infirmary. He had a personal room forever reserved at the Emperor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center. The conflicting scent of sickly sweet bacta and burnt metal intruded into her nose as Ahsoka entered, and she couldn’t resist scowling at the cacophony. A large table sat prominently in the middle of the room, a number of medical droids standing at the ready. Above it were a set of mechanical arms and grippers, and she couldn’t help but notice how very similar they were to the torture tables onboard Anakin’s flagship. Nearby sat a bacta tank, empty save for a harness meant to keep patients from bouncing around within.

    “Lay me on the table,” Anakin said. “The droids will repair me.”

    Ahsoka frowned. Anakin was not a _thing_ to be fixed. She laid him on the table regardless, and immediately life filled the droids that surrounded the table.

===

    Anakin Skywalker stared upwards as the mechanical arms stripped him of his suit. He had done this many times before, but never with a guest.

    As far as guests went however, certainly could have done worse than his apprentice.

    For a long time he thought Anakin Skywalker gone, crushed underneath the heel of Darth Vader and ground into dust. A Jedi that allowed petty rules and restrictions hold him back from doing what must be done. Skywalker was pathetic. Weak. Compassionate. Forever held back from his true potential. Darth Vader was none of those things. He was strong. Powerful. Whole. Someone that did not let something as pitiful as love and friendship get in the way of what he wanted.

    Or so he thought.

    As soon as he saw _her_ , Anakin Skywalker burst forth from the dead, deafeningly loud and refusing to be ignored. Darth Vader thrashed against the man, screaming out that the old Jedi was dead, but he ultimately was no match. Vader may have been powerful, and had defeated Skywalker in the beginning, but he was still a youngling compared to the Jedi. Skywalker had played the longer game. He had allowed himself to lose the battle in order to win the war. He had been uncharacteristically patient, a lesson learned over the years, but often ignored. Skywalker had been willing to wait years, _decades_ even for the proper weaponry to show Vader one undeniable truth that he had buried underneath his rage.

    There was no Darth Vader.

    There was only Anakin Skywalker.

    The first thing he had seen in months was his old apprentice, and it took all he had not to break down at her lack of recognition of him. Of course she wouldn’t recognize him. He wore the face of another. Committed the actions of another- _no_ . Those actions were his. They were always his. He had been tricked, fooled, led along for _years_ by his master into helping him destroy the Jedi. He had lost everything and everyone in his quest for selfish power.

    And yet here she was. The last remnant of his past that he knew of. It had been a chance encounter. A whim. He rarely ever kept real track of the Inquisitors’ missions, but he was bored enough to check what everyone was doing. As soon as he saw the description, he didn’t know what had come over him. Hope, perhaps? Vader didn’t have hope. He should have seen it for what it was. Anakin Skywalker stirring.

    So there they were. Master and Padawan together again. The offer of mercy for her friends was a simple solution. She was always so compassionate and easily manipulated when it came to the safety of others.

    He would help her with that. He owed it to her to show her the strength of the dark side. She would need it to survive in this new galaxy.

    He thought at first to use what his master had taught him. The words his master had used. Anakin had never tried to turn anyone before. Not like this. There had been no need. The Inquisitors were already dark by the time he had gotten his hands on them, and it was all too easy to take the Jedi that surrendered and torture them into it. Torture destroys people though. It does not make Sith. She had to choose it.

    The words felt clunky in his mouth as he tried to replicate Sidious’ enticings. He offered her selfish desires, forgetting that she was not him. He, a former and current slave, always would have been tempted by worldly possessions. She, a former Jedi? Altruism won out.

    She was his Padawan though, and it showed more and more as they learned together. He quickly abandoned his improvised and pathetic replication of the Master’s skilled trap and instead he did best.

    He appealed to emotion.

    He figured seeing who he was would break her, but not nearly to the extent that happened. Before he even knew what was happening, he was consoling her, trying to soothe the damage he had inflicted. He had sought out to rid her of compassion, only to find it still alive within himself, albeit shriveled and untended. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad then, but he would show it only to those that deserved it. Or rather, the _one_ that deserved it.

    And when she was willing to listen, he spoke. He told her his story, leaving out the lies he had prepared. He couldn’t lie to her. He refused. He would not trick her into the unforgiving darkness as he had. Instead there would be only truth, logic, and reasoning. The Jedi had betrayed themselves and the Republic, and he knew that she would see it clearly through the lens of the Force.

    And so she did.

    He knew not exactly what went through her head as it happened. Falling was a very quiet thing, though the aftereffects could be very loud. It was personal, shared only with those that could be trusted. He had trusted Palpatine with the secrets that would lead to his fall, and paid for it. Her words in the throne room suggested her reasoning, but he would not press her. When and if she was ready to speak her secret, he would not betray her as so many others had and would.

    She was so different than him. Would _continue_ to be different than him. Darth Vader announced himself to the galaxy with a wave of selfish destruction, inflicting his wrath upon all that dared oppose him. Darth Venatrix was barely a whisper, the action of a predator slinking through the grass. She had a single focus on her prey, and needed stealth above all else in order to finally feast upon it.

    Her way of using the dark side was her own as well. The Force rushed to her aid, drawn by her emotions. Enticed by it. Though it was both the same and different beast, she treated the dark side of the Force with the same respect a Jedi would. And it respected her in turn. It was curious, and in his curiosity Anakin started experimenting. It would be slow to break the habits Sidious ingrained in him, but already he felt the Force lashing out less at him. It was a new power that he and she would learn together in secret.

    And then Anakin had to ruin it by announcing her presence.

    He had done what the Jedi warned him of years ago when he was young. Expect failure, and you will fail. He said she would never escape the notice of the Emperor’s spies, and so she wouldn’t.

    Anakin thought their plan well thought out. That they could beat Palpatine at his own game of manipulation and subterfuge. She would stay far away from him, Anakin’s claims of her a simple Dark Jedi protecting her. They would meet when they could, and he could pass on what his Master had taught him. Once the galaxy was ripe for rebellion, they would use the chaos to purge Palpatine of his most loyal supporters before crushing the rebels and taking the Empire for themselves.

    In hindsight, it should have been obvious it wouldn’t work. Sidious had allowed just enough time for her to get some clout with Organa before recalling her, claiming he wished to see the results of Vader’s handiwork. It seemed like a reasonable request, though the dark side whispered warnings in his head the whole time. It was too late though, any message sent out would have been intercepted and seen as betrayal. It was too soon.

    He couldn’t have been prouder of her as she stood before them. She did not flinch and showed just the right amount of fear and deference to please his master, but that was the problem. She was _too_ controlled. He had taught her _too_ well. Anakin had taught her how to use the dark side as a Sith did, and Sidious smelled it on her immediately.

    And yet as his master tortured him, forced him to his knees, he felt none of it. There was only the concern for the girl that was his student twice now. He watched as she ached to aid him, but was again only proud as she held her ground, showing patience and intelligence in not challenging the Shadow. To submit was to live. To tell Sidious what he wanted was to gain time. In the Master’s arrogance he now had not just a krayt dragon to deal with, but also a nexu. He would beat them when they disobeyed, pulled at their chains that he now held.

    Their care for each other.

    Anakin had, in his overconfidence, delivered not only himself to Sidious, but his student as well. But the master had made a critical mistake in allowing them to live. 

    He never stopped their plan.

So they would wait, and they would plot, and they would build their strength.

And when their enemy thought himself at his most invincible, they would bring it all crashing down upon them.

The Force bites back, his master had told him. A consequence of forcing one’s will upon it. However Anakin and Ahsoka, Vader and Venatrix? They had nothing to fear from the Force. They would not beat it into submission. It would not bite at its masters.

However, _they_ definitely would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you make the worst possible decision in a sensitive scenario. Just Anakin things...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this short little story! I am busy working on something right now to follow up, but I have no date for when it will be ready.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering at how Vader/Anakin could be so cushy or Ahsoka so easily broken, know that this takes place at the end of the Ahsoka novel, which takes place some time in late 18 BBY - early 17 BBY. Ahsoka is barely an adult and just managed to deal with a number of her demons and put herself back together. Anakin revealing himself smashed right through the still drying glue. Anakin himself hasn't been Vader long enough to completely snuff out his old self. Or at least that's how my headcanon is going here. It took Luke being tortured in Return of the Jedi for Anakin to break through Vader, and similarly to the Ahsoka metaphor before, the mortar of Anakin's prison here was still curing.
> 
> If you're looking for a redemption fic, kindly direct yourself away from continuing. Well...there might be some elements of semi-redemption. We'll see ;)


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